Movie Reviews (1351-1400)

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Norwegian exploitation movie steals from "Most Dangerous Game", "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and Deliverance" without having the style, dialogue or inventiveness of these classics. There is some pretty disturbing blood effects and teenagers in peril crying their tears out, but acting doesn't exist. Both hunters and the hunted act stupid in any situation and the movie could have been over in ten minutes if the villains had done the right (wrong?) thing to the characters at once. Most noteworthy for being the first true production of this kind that has premiered in Norwegian cinema.

It is a feature movie with the Looney Tunes who interact with live people. It is also a sports movie about basketball starring already faded sports-stars in the leading roles (doing a bad job at it too!) with a lot of marketing and self-love to the Warner Brothers logo. It lacks originality, wackiness and surprises as the story is the old one about an underdog team that wins the match with just one point before the last second ticks away. Hardly original stuff but worth one look together with the smallest undemanding kids in the family. Bill Murray is in it too which at least counts for something.

The Ups: It is nice to remember a time when internet didn't ruin the surprise casting of Steven Seagal and what is one of his better roles. Kurt Russell has always been a more interesting character actor and action handler than he gets credit for and he makes a good role here as a man in the middle of a situation he is not ready for. David Suchet play convincingly a terrorist, but there is some stupid one-liners and Oliver Platt as a technical genius is laughable.

The promotional campaign of this movie was excellent at the time using fake-documentaries and internet to make believe this low-budget indie-horror "reality" movie was real, but together with "Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace" this was also 1999's biggest disappointment as the hysteria and rave never could fulfill my expectations and it became instead a movie I would hate and be enormously disappointed by. Numerous minutes of people screaming, quarreling, crying and saying stupid things and jokes as if it was a bad reality show on Reality TV. How hard is it to just follow the river instead of going in circles? Stupid pot-influenced teenagers.

Deserves to be called one of the worst films that has ever been produced. It is great sleep medicine without taking pills as I tried to watch it three times and went to sleep each time before I managed to finish the film. It has a stupid story from the creator of the Scientology Church that somehow people believe is pure gospel? John Travolta and Forest Whittaker shit on themselves with embarrassing acting and Barry Pepper can not lead this type of film as he lacks any chemistry or powerful presence to make the role watchable. The film is edited to pieces and is incoherent but this is probably to hide how stupid the story is. John Travolta lost all cred by stating during the promotion of this film that it was "like Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) but better" and it being "the Schindler's List (1993) of science fiction films".

One of the better video game-to-movie adaptations that I have seen. Especially the first half has a good build-up and is surprisingly effective with some interesting camera visuals. It is solid action with the typical computer game cliches like a clock ticking down to 0, death traps, codes, key-cards, traitors, monsters, zombies and an annoying all-knowing computer. Milla Jovovich is also so pleasant on the eyes and carries half the movie alone in a role where she deliver stunt work worthy of a professional. Only the annoying "infected bite that we know will turn someone to a brainless human flesh eating monster but we have to wait to the worst possible moment at the end for the payoff" scene ruins some of the film. It would also have been fun to see some more scenes outdoors as all action takes place in studio stages and a few CGI scenes are too ambitious for it's own good.

Goes further into it's video-game universe by introducing new character Jill Valentine, who dresses and shoots a lot like Lara Croft. It also expands the action to outdoors and let Racoon City get painted with blood and ripped body parts. It also feels like a logic sequel since the first film ended on an open note. But Milla is too much a video game heroine now with added extra life (if necessary) and with a minimum of human emotion. I'm also not sure it was wise to hire a second unit director and let him try to direct. The story also rips off "Escape from New York" and I hate the comic relief in the film. There is also an over-use of slow motion, model posing and bullet time moments. Not all the make-up is especially well done either and it is never a good thing when the humans are more scary to watch than the infected "zombie" people either.

Better action scenes, editing and cinematography than the second film. The Walking Dead look disgusting again and has better make-up too. That annoying comic relief from the first sequel finally gets his well-deserved fate. The idea of birds feasting on infected flesh and becoming themselves killer birds is good realized. Iain Glen gets more to do and leaves an impression. Plot itself steal heavily from "Mad Max" and the ending is predictable.

Fourth film seems to have a better focus on some of the characters and it is interesting to see that the infected people now seem to be in a more supporting capacity. The movie almost implode on itself in the beginning when Alice is too powerful with hundreds of clones fighting with her to take down a big base but luckily Alice loses her "all God" powers pretty fast. There are more varied fight sequences and locations. The film series continue to feel like a true video game while the villain seem to have too much inspiration from "Matrix"'s Mr. Smith.

Action sequences have new energy and seem fresher than ever - it begins with a scene back in time and then gives us the chance to see how the rest of the world got infected by the virus V.R. style. A new Asian action actress is a sexy addition as is Jill Valentine who's back but now in a bad-ass insanely sexy outfit. Too many returning characters and plot-lines mean that it will not be a movie that first-timers can go into blindly without any knowledge of what has happened before even if the main plot doesn't advance much as it is more a breather to remind us of what has happened and setting things in motion for the final chapter.

It is a film in the genre that I like best: film noir combined with science fiction. The movie is nicely cast so why did they manage to miss on the leading actor who is a blank page throughout? Loses some points because it is similar to "Dark City" and the Matrix" who both were released the same year and are superior to this film. I do like much about it though.

The tight ass of Catherine Zeta-Jones in a catsuit lingering through some CGI lasers is the highlight of this old-fashioned "thief outsmart thief" concept with a romantic angle that is a little cute in small doses since Cat loves older men but the love story between grandpa Sean Connery and Zeta is credibility that is stretched a little too far. Lacks also any breath-taking action or smart theft scenes that is essential for a movie of this type. Many boring one-liners and attempt at humor also ruin the film and the ending is uninspired and feels like a hopeful attempt by the producers for a potential sequel if the crowds had demanded it. Which they didn't.

It is a long time since the last decent movie about man-eating sharks and this one ups the danger by having them more intelligent due to scientific experiments. There are several fun-to-watch over-the-top death scenes and a cast game for the task of being chewed up by CGI effects. It is also the best homage movie to the original "Jaws" movies and even let the sharks die in similar ways. But particularly original and decent characterization is something this movie lacks.

First of the many new college sex-comedies of the "new century" and still one of the better (and more charming) of them that updates the old "Animal House" concept from the seventies. Shannon Elizabeth's silicone tits was the sex fantasy of many teenage boys this year, but any scene with Chris Klein and Mena Suvari seemed to drag on forever. Could have been even more raunchier and sexier as we needed at least to see Mena Suvari nude as a pay-off after all her boring moments. Ha ha ha.

Some new intentional embarrassing moments and stupid awkward moments. It reunites us with the same ensemble and shares the same feel as the original, but it is overlong and a "lesbian" sequence is put here only for "Tit"ilation. Several of the girls from the original are also wasted in small cameo roles that do nothing for the plot nor humor of the film.

Stifler has never been more annoying with an overlong dance at a gay bar and a disgusting scene where he manage to eat dogshit. It is not a very good balanced movie and while the idea is good the execution of it is terrible. Where is the bachelor party and all that crazy shit? Also there is no new characters that is particularly interesting except January Jones who is cute. A long scene with two strippers flashing their silicione tits seem to be the only thing worth seeing in this film.

Talk about taking a recognizable b(r)and name and drive it even longer to the ground. It consist of the most charmless troll in the leading role and overuse every sentence with fowl language as it lacks any jokes what-so-ever. Eugene Levy can't save the movie with his big eyebrows alone and the addition of former pornstar Ginger Lynn Allen to the cast is unnecessary and lacks a point. Steve Rash directed once a few good entries in the eighties but it seems that he doesn't even try anymore as evidenced by this film.

It is the raunchiest of the films so far for those looking for money shots on your own family, tons of naked people and characters going around with hard-ons for most of the movie. For actual comedy and charm though this film is sadly lacking.

Well you know what you get and it delivers just that. There are new boobs, new sex games and new embarrassing situations. Hard to forget that sick "Greek Olympiad" roulette at least, but this one is not better or worse than any of those other unofficial forgettable sequels.

Still a place for young teenagers to see young starlets take off some clothes and embarrass themselves. A few daydreams from one of the boys is the closest to fun in this film and a few cameos by better known actors. The funniest with this entry is that it at least tries to make Eugene Levy's role in the series more important again.

Looks and feels like a fan-movie from a crazed college-sex comedy fan who also thinks "Happy Gilmore" is the funniest movie he is ever seen - that is why it is even more shocking to see that this comedy was made by a woman. Must be some of the lamest dancing ever put on screen during the "party tent" sequence and Dean Cain sits in a car playing a singing redneck hillbilly for half the movie. Lamest movie I have seen in ages.

Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones still have a good chemistry together in this dismissable sequel that recycle all the best jokes for another laugh. Lara Flynn Boyle looks so sickly thin and anorexic that I find her disgusting while she was meant to play a sexy alien and Johnny Knoxville's stupid head is even CGI-duplicated playing the most moronic alien ever put on screen. Where is Linda Fiorentino erasing our memory when we need her? Crap movie.

Scarlett Johansson looking like she was the design for one of the most iconic and famous paintings of all time makes this biographic movie feel right most of the time, but there is not enough drama and oomph as the movie settles for the safest plot and tensions throughout the movie with the exception of the annoying and terrible painter's daughter who feel jealous that her father overlook her charms so that he can paint other sexy girls instead.

Crime thriller based upon Elmore Leonard's novel is rich with dialogue and forgotten music gems since it is directed and adapted by Quentin Tarantino. It gave well-deserved new recognition to cult faves Pam Grier and Robert Forster. Michael Keaton doing his cop role both her and in "Out of Sight" is a great continuity that other films should do more of.

An usual but solid westerner about a notorious killer who has been rehabilitated after 18 years in jail and who tries to walk the narrow path. It blend spaghetti-western action and slow-motion Sam Peckinpah death scenes with some drama. Vincent Price seem to relish his role as a nice guy for a change. The title song seem more fit to follow a Christian telemovie of the week about Jesus Christ than a western movie though even if it is clearly used to hammer on our heads that the title hero has a "kind of" similar fate.

Drama that tackles a promising theme about how violent pupils in the U.S. school system holds their grip on teachers and ruin the education not only for themselves but everyone. Story is even written by a real-life teacher. Samuel L. Jackson delivering one of his more powerful roles but it has an unrealistic twist as the teacher becomes "Dirty Harry" at the end. The dark cinematography doesn't always work either and there are some annoying cliched dialogue when the teacher-kicks-pupils-into-sense.

The Ups: Leave it to the Japanese to make a powerful and engaging movie about raccoons that can magically transform themselves to anything. Expect the usual excellent animation work and some unexpected fairy-tale-like storytelling. I like that the movie is not overdone by Hollywood box office actors for it's U.S. release.

Movie that is clearly for the fans of the anime as this film only tell an "untold story" from the universe and is not keen on reintroducing new ones to it. Better animation than in the TV-series with more depth, background and character detail and it helps that the film has much humor and many fun touches. The outcome of the story is obvious and there is few surprises as the "we can overcome everything together" has already been overdone on the show. Some use of the supporting characters from the show could have been toned down as they are not much more than a glorified cameo for fans too and will only make new viewers scratch their heads even more.

At first glance it seems like a cool update of the classic fantasy comedy "The Man that Could Work Miracles" by H.G. Wells. We get Jim Carrey in a perfectly cast gimmick role and add that with modern effects, Jennifer Aniston in heat, Steve Carrell as the back-stabbing bastard and the fact that Morgan Freeman IS God and it all seem like this should be a winner. So, how is it possible to do so little with a character that has infinite powers? Take away a few cool scenes and there is nothing unique and original with his comedy and it feels exactly like tons of other American ones I have seen. Instead of touching upon what happens to a guy with God-like powers this main character only wants to screw around with annoying people and get his job back and enjoy the girlfriend he already has? It would also have helped the movie had Jim Carrey not been goofy already from the start of the movie and instead become a little "different" from the power transfer. A complete wasted opportunity to do something different with a comedy. I'll see the 1930s version again instead.

A modern version of those old-fashioned romantic westerners that we don't have so much of these days. It has the added value of Robert Duvall and Kevin Costner who seem to be obligatory anytime Hollywood decide to make a film in this time period and those two are also the highlight of the film with a lot of good interaction together. The evil landowner Michael Gambon and the confrontation against him is also a satisfying moment. As always with Kevin Costner directing there is a pleasing cinematography that clearly loves nature and beautiful sunsets. I only found love interest Annette Bening unnecessary to the film as she is only there to give Costner more to do, but it drags the story down.

Historic romantic drama with the best intentions as it dares to touch on how the American Civil War almost ruined the entire country. It is a pretty bleak Hollywood movie which is to be cherished. Good dialogue too and the photography is epic, but the film overkill as the director want to show how the war destroys every single soul and how anyone could end in a coffin at anytime and happiness was hard to reach. Around 40-year-old Nicole Kidman is also miscast as an unmarried young woman. It would have been a lot more believable had Natalie Portman played her role (who appear in a lot more engaging supporting role anyhow) and Kidman doing her role as a single parent. Renee Zellweger also overact and do the worst over-the-top screen accents I have ever heard in a film in a long time.

Comedy with high potensial as it seem to want teach young kids about the important music genre called rock that the mainstream industry seemingly want to bury. Jack Black fits his role as a glow and Joan Cusack glows as always in a thankless supporting role. Sadly, it all ends up to become a different approach to the old "Kindergarten Cop" plot and Jack Black do a one-man show stealing some limelight from the other talented younger actors and actresses.

The Ups: It is a heist movie with car chases, but when the film kill off the best actor and character after only a few minutes and have bored-faced Mark Wahlberg as the lead it is hard to care. Too little of Italy is actually shown too and Edward Norton seem totally without any motivation as he is only there to collect his pay and finish his acting contract. Action on autopilot with little of interest.

A ludicrous fantasy comedy based upon a far-out concept made for weekend morning viewing for the entire family in the 1970s. It has decent effects that is meant to be dreadful and I like that there has been attempt to respect the look and story line of the original show. The best with the film though is the title theme at the end of the film which is to good for the film. It is easy to hate this production if you loved the original series and hate Will Ferrell comedies. Anna Friel did not deserve to have her fantastic series "Pushing Daisies" cancelled and then co-star in this thankless supporting role though. The worst though is that the movie is not THAT funny. Acceptable film but just barely.

At the height of the sword and sorcery craze we got this production that combined live performances with animation drawn over every frame to make it as realistic as possible. There are a few moments that are more exciting than anything the live movies in this genre has managed to give us and the story is classic barbarian fantasy courtesy of two masters of the genre, Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway, who both wrote a lot for Marvel Comics' Conan and Kull. Purely an adult production with plenty of deaths and a heroine that oozes sexuality and erotic imagery as she goes through the movie with as little clothes as possible. It is not a surprising film but it deliver everything expected from the genre.

Compared to the original 1968 movie, Pierce Brosnan lacks the coolness of Steve MacQueen. Rene Russo has none of the chemistry or quality that Faye Dunaway show even more apparent when she appear to do a small cameo appearance. The film is also too comic and lacks the erotic intensity with Rene Russo going topless in a hope to sell the movie for some people interested in seeing her tits. Sadly, this is a weak remake that lacks the class and coolness of the original.

Angelina Jolie sells the title role and is perfect casting as Maleficent. It has beautiful colors and a lot of beautiful landscapes and a cool castle, but none of the other characters are interesting or have a interesting personality so they are all either very stupid, naive or extremely evil. Maleficient gets redeemed at the end when she should have been pure evil throughout and I hated the flying sequences in this film. Mediocre film.

A sequel that at least feels like a logical expansion of the original and it finally addresses that Jason Bourne actually was a killer before getting an amnesia. Karl Urban do a excellent Russian contract killer and it is very fast-paced, but I find it too frenetic in the action sequences and it seems to have been made for persons who can't let a film breathe a little and/or have an attention disorder. The plot wins no originality prizes either: revenge of a beloved one, evil boss, rich, wealthy Russian who follow his own world rules.

Taken as a trilogy this movie would have been a solid ending. The movie deliver the same type of action and eventful excitement as the first two ones together with great location work. A genius cameo by Richard Chamberlain (original Jason Bourne) as one of the agents terminated by Bourne is the best moment in the film. Some overuse of the shaky-cam and editing which seem to shout out "look at me how fast and cool I directed this film" and a story that don't surprise as much as some think it does.

The screen writer of the original trilogy (also directs this one) and heactually came up with a decent and believable story about what could have happened at the same time as "The Bourne Ultimatium" without stepping on what has been seen before. While a spin-off project it can also stand on it's own legs and seem to have a proper ending (for the moment). The film also don't go into overkill with it's rapid editing and shaky-cams which I like, but Jeremy Renner's character do not have the character depth that would have made him even more sympathetic and interesting which was a shame.

Three short stories from the pen of Stephen King. It is especially satisfying if you are a cat lover. "The Ledge", the second story is a strong believable idea and I like the homages to other stories of King. Strong photography from master Jack Cardiff help too but there are some cheesy moments in the film too and honestly not particularly scary.

You get to see a volcano rip through Los Angeles and Tommy Lee Jones make even this drivel watchable as this is one fantastically unbelievable catastrophe movie full of goofs. Don Cheadle is wasted in a shitty supporting role.

Jamie Lee Curtis return to the franchise for another stint as a "scream queen". A better ensemble cast than usual and stronger production values is a big plus, but Josh Hartnett is terrible in the film. With a better plot and scares the franchise could have gotten a more worthy "ending" than these kinds of slasher movies usually get as the talent involved is better than the script.

The Ups: Well, you get to see The Shape kill again, but the film's title should not be "Resurrection" but "Requiem" as this is technically the end of this franchise forever and the film ruin the fact that Jamie Lee Curtis appear in the film. The plot and idea about reality TV is also a stupid gimmick idea -and where is actually Laurie's son from the prior movie? A terrible directed movie that I hate enormously. Even more than chapter 6 of this franchise. Let it die now.

Engaging story with strong action and direction about a man shrinking. Superior in it's genre for a decade where science fiction drowned in monster and alien invasion movies. The effects also holds up pretty well. Only it's ending may feel too abrupt and maybe a little too philosophical and religious for today's audience.

One of the most important documentaries ever put on film showing how history and past events are always with us even when there is only the testimonies of the people back. Luckily, someone decided to preserve it all in one film. All interviews feel authentic and is extremely detailed. It's silence and tranquility give us time to reflect on what is said and respect the memory of the murdered. A hugely depressing and draining film to sit through with almost ten hours of interviews telling about genocide, but it will make you look differently on yourself and the world. A few questions by the interviewer/director should also have been left out as it makes him feel cold, distant and manipulative but this is strong stuff and a necessary film to have experienced.

The build-up of both novel and movie is intriguing with old friends reuniting after many years in a cabin and the flashbacks to their childhood. Some great character build-up and a few tense moments is created early on, but this story is also the most far-fetched Stephen King novel (and it shows on screen) full of aliens, paranoid military leaders, spiritual guides and parasites ripping themselves out through people's butt holes. Morgan Freeman who is usual reliable is terrible here with comical white eyebrows and crazed facial expressions. Climax and ending is as terrible as in the book which was among the writer's worst to begin with.

Mel Gibson directed this Bible epic that really shows us in gory detail about the last hours of Jesus Christ and it almost makes me wonder if Mel Gibson relish the chance to flog this holy icon. There is a lot of agony and despair that can be hard to take here and it is easy to understand that Jim Caviezel had to undergo medical treatment after the film. Sadly, the film also doesn't go very deep into the text than what we already have seen in other films except for it's brutality and gruesomeness.

A forgotten horror movie about how vengeance blended with black magic and curses never mix good together even if there is a heartbreaking reason to seek it. It has a kind-of E.C. Comics feel to it. The monster is excellently designed which is not surprising as film was directed by effects master Stan Winston. Lance Henriksen deliver a sad portrait of a haunted father and it is easily one of the better films in a genre that has drowned itself in below average slashers and lousy haunted house movies during the 1980s.

Surrealism, horror and expressionism is put together into one excellent package. It is surely one of the most important horror movies ever put on screen and it had a surprise ending that has been stolen million of times afterwards. It is also hypnotic and the German actors are all perfect cast for this production, but you need to see it in it's most glorious and best preserved version so please skip anything else than the excellent restored HD versions that have been released in the last years.